Two Bibles
Middle English Reading 1
Chapter 4 · Two Bibles
📜 Two Bibles
This chapter replaces the planned Lord's Prayer. The Wikipedia articles I could read print no Middle English version of it, only the one word dettis, so I looked for something else I could verify. The Middle English article's Sample texts section turned up something better for this course: the same two verses of the Bible in two Middle English dialects, printed one beside the other. Reading them together shows what dialect means on the page.
Verse 5
WMAnd who-efere of ȝou nedeþ wysdom, axe he of God, þat graunteþ eferich man plentyuouslyche and obbraydeþ no man.
and whoever of you needs wisdom, ask he of God, that grants every man plentifully and reproaches no man
S& whuche of ȝow so haþ nede of wysdom, aske of God þat ȝeveþ plentyuously to alle, & withstonde him nouȝte, & it schal be ȝove to him.
and which of you so has need of wisdom, ask of God that gives plentifully to all, and withstand him not, and it shall be given to him
The article's modern English: "Any of you who lacks wisdom must ask God, who gives to all generously and without scolding; it will be given."
Source: Wikipedia, Middle English, Sample texts, Pre-Wycliffite Bibles (WM = West Midlands (Herefordshire) version, S = Southern version). The Southern verse was printed in two parts by the page tool and is joined here. The glosses are mine and unverified.
Verse 6
WM& axe he in feiþ & trust, doutynge no þing: For he þat douteþ is lyche to þe flod of þe see þat is y-mefed & y-boren aboute of þe wynd.
and ask he in faith and trust, doubting no thing: for he that doubts is like to the flood of the sea that is y-moved and y-borne about by the wind
SAske he soþely in feiþ, nouȝte faylynge: for soþely he þat is faylynge (þat is, faylynge in þe feiþ) he is lyke to þe flowynge of þe see þe whuche is mevyd wiþ þe wynde & bore a-boute.
ask he truly in faith, not failing: for truly he that is failing (that is, failing in the faith) he is like to the flowing of the sea which is moved with the wind and borne about
The article's modern English: "But the prayer must be made with faith, and no trace of doubt, because a person who has doubts is like the waves thrown up in the sea by the buffeting of the wind."
Source: as above. Each verse was printed in parts by the page tool and is joined here. The modern English is the article's single translation of both versions, so it matches neither word for word.
What matches Middle English Grammar 1
- 3rd singular -eþ. Both versions use it: nedeþ, graunteþ, douteþ, ȝeveþ, and haþ (Middle English Grammar 1, Chapters 6 and 7). Neither version uses the Northern -es. The verse has no plural present verb, so the dialect plural endings of Chapter 6 are not tested here.
- Present participle -ynge. doutynge, faylynge, flowynge (Chapter 6). Chapter 6's source assigned -ende and -ynge to no dialect, and these two texts use -ynge only, which proves nothing about the others.
- Past participles with y-. The West Midlands text has y-mefed (weak) and y-boren (strong, y- plus -en), both matching Chapter 6. The Southern text has mevyd and bore with no prefix on these, and ȝove, the participle of "give".
- Pronouns. ȝou and ȝow are both listed in Chapter 5 for 2nd plural. him is the object form. it in the Southern text is not the hit of Chapter 5's table, so it is a spelling I note without explanation.
- Be, have, shall. is and haþ match Chapter 7. schal is the 1st and 3rd singular of shall. be in schal be ȝove is the infinitive; Chapter 7 gave been, so this is a spelling variant (my reading).
- The article. þe in both: þe flod, þe see, þe wynd (Chapter 3). The Southern text has þe wynde with an -e on the noun where the West Midlands text has none; Chapter 2's source gave no rule for this, so I note it only.
- Plural -e. alle in to alle ends in -e as a plural form (Chapter 4).
- Negatives. obbraydeþ no man and doutynge no þing use no with no ne. The Southern text has nouȝte with no ne either, like the nauȝt of Chapter 8. The article prints no dates, so I cannot place the texts on Chapter 8's stages.
- -lich and -ly. The West Midlands text has plentyuouslyche and lyche; the Southern text has plentyuously and lyke. Chapter 4 mentioned -ly and -lich as alternatives, so this looks like the same pair at work in these words. The match is my observation, not the source's.
What differs between the two
| Word | West Midlands | Southern |
|---|---|---|
| ask | axe | aske |
| you (plural) | ȝou | ȝow |
| who / which | who-efere | whuche |
| gives | graunteþ ("grants") | ȝeveþ |
| like | lyche | lyke |
| not | no | nouȝte |
| wind | wynd | wynde |
Some of these are word choices (graunteþ against ȝeveþ), and some are spelling (ȝou against ȝow). The article labels one text West Midlands and the other Southern but does not say which differences are regional and which belong to the scribe or the translator. I make no claim about that, beyond the observable fact that they differ.
New words
| Middle English | Meaning | Modern English relative |
|---|---|---|
| axe / aske | ask | ask |
| wysdom | wisdom | wisdom |
| nedeþ / nede | needs, lacks; need | need |
| graunteþ | grants | grant |
| obbraydeþ | reproaches (my reading from "without scolding") | upbraid (my guess) |
| douteþ | doubts | doubt |
| flod | flood, wave | flood |
| soþely | truly | soothly (my guess) |
Try It Yourself
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. Which two dialects are the two texts labelled with?
Show answer
West Midlands (Herefordshire) and Southern.
2. Which verse ending do both texts use for the 3rd singular present?
Show answer
-eþ, as in nedeþ and ȝeveþ.
3. Why can this passage not test the dialect plural endings of Chapter 6?
Show answer
It has no plural present-tense verb.
4. Which participle in the West Midlands text has y- plus -en?
Show answer
y-boren.
5. Give the West Midlands and Southern words for "ask".
Show answer
axe and aske.
6. Translate it schal be ȝove to him.
Show answer
"It shall be given to him."
7. What does obbraydeþ no man mean, and which grammatical points does it show?
Show answer
"(And) reproaches no man": the 3rd singular ending -eþ and a negative no with no ne.
8. Name one difference that is a word choice and one that is a spelling.
Show answer
Word choice: graunteþ against ȝeveþ. Spelling: ȝou against ȝow.
9. Does the article say which differences are regional?
Show answer
No. It labels the two texts but does not separate regional differences from scribal ones.
10. What does the Southern text have where the West Midlands text has wynd?
Show answer
wynde, with a final -e.